PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Guyana made an impressive start to their NAGICO Super50 campaign with a massive 114 run win over Ireland, picking up a bonus point in the process.
The Guyanese, bolstered by a swashbuckling 89 from 62 balls from man of the match Ramnaresh Sarwan, scored 301 for three off their 50 overs then took wickets at regular intervals to dismiss Ireland for 187 in 38.3 overs.
Ireland’s run chase was stifled as their first four wickets tumbled with just 27 runs on the board. The Guyanese opening bowlers Paul Wintz and Ronsford Beaton produced an accurate lively opening burst from which Ireland never recovered.
Andrew Poynter staged some resistance in the middle of the innings to topscore with 54 that included five fours and two sixes off 65 balls. Kevin O’Brien had earlier tried to hit his team out of trouble with a brisk 39 off 35 balls with five fours and one six before he was bowled missing a sweep at the leg spiner Davindra Bishoo.
Max Sorensen with 29 and Alex Cusack with 12 were the only other batsmen to double figures.
Paul Wintz finished with three for 30 and Narsingh Deonarine with the wickets of Andrew McBrine and Tim Murtagh finished with two for six off two overs. Beaton had two for 41 off 7.3 overs.
Earlier Guyana enjoyed an opening stand of 129 between Trevon Griffith and the veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul after Ireland won the toss and decided to bowl. Chanderpaul contributed 79 with seven fours and one six off 113 deliveries and Griffith hit 62 from 96 balls with five fours and one six.
Sarwan then added 65 with his captain Christopher Barnwell for the third wicket. Barnwell blasted 31 off 15 balls with two fours and three sixes. Sarwan found another aggressive partner in Leon Johnson, the pair amassing an unbeaten 76-run partnership. Johnson smashed 27 in 14 balls striking four fours and one six.
The two plundered 21 off the final over bowled by Cusack. Sarwan’s 89 came off 62 balls with 10 fours and four sixes, capitalising on a series of full tosses served up by the Irish bowlers.
Medium pacer Kevin O’Brien claimed all three wickets for figures of three for 56. But even his effort could not stem the flow of runs as Guyana rattled up 129 in a boundary-studded final 10 overs.
